23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Groups of priests were on the way to the bishop’s house, for a meeting. On their way, they stopped for a quick meal and then continued their trip. After traveling for an hour, one of the priests realized that he had left his glasses in the restaurant. When the senior priest came to know this, he was very angry. However, they had no choice. They had to return to the restaurant to get his glasses. All the way back, the senior priest complained. When they arrived at the restaurant, the priest got out of the car and hurried inside, the senior priest called out to him and said, “You might as well get my wallet and my credit card.” Nobody is perfect. We are all human and have our own weaknesses and mistakes. We are sinners. This is the reality of our human nature. Even so, we are called to help one another on the road to salvation. Why? Because God wants everyone to be saved.
God wants everyone to be saved. He does not desire the death of a sinner; as He says in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel: “Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked? Or do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?” (Ez 18:23) That is why today’s readings invite us to fraternal correction. Fraternal correction is how to correct our brothers and sisters and bring them back to the path of salvation.
We know that God is love. Every act that he does is an act of love. He cannot do other than love. We only know this wonderful truth because the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became incarnate in Jesus Christ to show us what love really is. Love himself walked among us as a man, a real presence in the world, eating and drinking, speaking and listening, laughing and crying, teaching and healing, and ultimately suffering, dying, and rising to reconcile the world to the Father. This is how we know the depth of God’s love.
The first reading and the gospel give us insights into what it means for us to love our brothers and sisters. God openly tells Ezekiel that he has made him a “watchman.” God knows that most of the people are not listening to His voice. Therefore, He sent Ezekiel to carry His word to them. If the Prophet Ezekiel does not do it, the people will suffer for their own sins. In the gospel, Jesus gives us a similar instruction. If a brother sins against one of them, the disciple must take steps to tell the one who wronged him, and try to bring him back.
Listening is the key to healing and reconciliation. Listening works both ways. God listens to our prayers but we need also to listen to Him. The flock listens to the shepherd, and the shepherd listens to the flock. In the area of fraternal correction, we need to listen to each other first. Each one has a different background and each of us has a story to tell. The best part of our reading is that when we come together to solve a problem with our brothers or sisters, we must feel the presence of God in our midst. Before Jesus was born, He was given the name “Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” In today’s reading, He says “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” Before He ascended into heaven, He promised to be with His people until the end of time. So, we are always assured of His constant presence.
Correcting the mistakes of one another means helping one another to grow in faith, hope, and love. It is our responsibility to make sure that each brother and sister lives in harmony with one another. We must always remember that our community, our church, is a manifestation of God’s Kingdom on earth.
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